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Percival spent the majority of last season as a setup man with St. Louis. He went 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA and 0.85 WHIP, striking out 36 batters and walking 10 in 40 innings.
From a fantasy perspective, the 38-year-old Percival's one of the more reliable closers in the league and is playing for one of the better teams in the league. Owners should place him on their disabled list if they have the space to do so. If there is no space there, owners should stash him on the bench until he's able to return. The injury isn't considered to be serious since the MRI on his hamstring was negative, so owners should be looking for a short-term fix.
Relief pitcher Dan Wheeler likely will receive the first opportunity to close the games. He currently has a 0-3 record with a 2.19 ERA, a 0.89 WHIP and a save. He has 26 career saves in 40 opportunities and converted 11 of 15 opportunities for the Astros last season before being traded to the Rays.
Another pitcher who may see a few opportunities to close games is relief pitcher Al Reyes. He's struggled some during the season, going 1-2 with 4.35 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP while also spending some time on the DL earlier in the season with a shoulder impingement. He's struck out eight and walked four in 10 1/3 innings. He was fairly successful as the team's closer last season, going 2-4 with a 4.90 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 26 saves. He has 32 saves in his career.
Both of these pitchers would be useful pickups in AL-only leagues, and Wheeler's worth consideration in deeper setups because of his effective ratios this season.
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